Roger McKinney
Age Diversity
At Roane State Community College, diversity is a term well exhibited throughout the
campus. One displayed dynamic in Roane State classes is the mixture of student ages. In each
class, a student’s age can range from eighteen to sixty and consist of students anywhere in
between. This diversity is common among college classes, however it is a big change to the
normal of what a college freshman, like me, is used to. The age difference changes the feel and
mentality of a class while bringing in the idea that anyone of any age can enter any class.
Many pressures can come from sitting in the same class room as an older man; a man
who could already have completed many years in a career such as nuclear engineering. The
demands are infinite. For example, say that man is taking the same English class with me and I
have a question about a paper, but instead of getting that question answered, I stay quiet for fear
that the older man, or anyone in that higher age group, finds my question juvenile and ignorant.
The pressure to be as sophisticated and educated as the other, more mature students in the
classroom is tangible. Also, the weight of the teacher’s expectation is present as well. My dual
enrollment psychology teacher told my senior class one day about how a thirty year old, single
mother made better grades in his class than a nineteen year old that lives at home and has no
demands of him whatsoever, and my teacher was absolutely astounded by that fact. The idea,
conceived in my head after that story, was the fact that I had no reason to be any less capable
than a person with hardships I hope to never have to experience. Therefore, the stress of staying
as proficient and dedicated as the older students in my class is a huge difference than what I was
used to in high school.
Elaborating on that subject, high school was a place where all my peers and
friends put fun first and homework second to chores. It seems that the older students in my
classes find college as an opportunity instead of a nuisance as school was in high school. The
older students have usually already been to college, and see their current school work as a
necessity to further their lives into a successful career. I feel that the mindset of my older peers is
the kind that I should obtain, and the transition from high school graduate to college scholar is
strange and difficult. In addition, the diversity of age in college freshman classes is very different
than the age difference in high school freshman classes. In high school, grades were separated by
age and the only difference was maybe a year or so. However, now, age is irrelevant and anyone
with any criteria can be in any “grade.” That fact is a very weird idea to become acquainted with.
It takes a classroom to a whole new level.
Maturity is not a bad thing. When students act mature in a classroom, things get done
quicker and conversations take place that are intelligent and applicable to the subject at hand.
With mature, adult individuals mixed in with a classroom of young adults, the class gets a
serious and established feel to it, making the room demanding yet conventional. With the
influence of an older person added to the room, the “class clown” is less likely to act out, and
propels the class forward at a faster rate. This is enjoyable; however, it can be a bit stressful to go
at a speed that is set more for the older students. The mature feeling brought about by the
addition of older students also puts presser on me and the younger students, just as the pressure is
put on by the older students’ knowledge.
All together, the diversity in the classroom can be beneficial in some ways, like moving
quickly and getting things done through the determination of the class. However, it can also be
stressful with the pressures of more mature and knowledgeable individuals listening to one’s
ideas and thoughts. The jump from high school to college is a big one, but in the long run it will
hopefully teach me to look at college the way my older peers do, as an opportunity. The age
diversity creates a mature mentality along with a pressure to succeed and establish a successful
career as those who returned to college are hoping to do as well.